The Chicago Bears will play their exhibition opener Friday night at Soldier Field hosting the Philadelphia Eagles. That contest will come after two weeks of training camp and 11 practices, providing a test that will push the narrative of several key storylines forward.

On Sunday afternoon, the Bears sent out their official game release for the preseason opener. Included: the first official depth chart of the preseason.

Keep in mind, the depth chart will be fluid at many positions heading for the Sept. 7 regular season opener against the Bills. And so it’s dangerous to read too far into what the first depth chart actually means. Especially with so many positions still not even decided. But it’s worthy of discussion anyway, particularly with the competitions ongoing at safety and linebacker.

At his pre-camp press conference, Bears general manager Phil Emery cautioned to take all depth chart shuffling with a grain of salt in the early stages of the preseason. Changes will be made. Big decisions are ahead. But at the very least, Friday’s game with the Jaguars will help to sharpen the focus.

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